This past Saturday, the La Sportiva Mountain Cup headed down to Texas for the Hell’s Hills races, in particular the 25k race in this multi-distance trail running festival that drew 600 runners between the four distances. Those who chose the 10k and 25k … and the fastest 50k runners lucked out as the Texas sun heated the course to the upper 80s by afternoon.

Following an out-and-back course designed for mountain bikes, the 25k racers found themselves zigzagging back and forth on tightly winding trails, rich with wildflowers and prickly pears. The course was all trail with a few sections of 4-wheel drive road connecting the gaps between single track.

At each Mountain Cup race, La Sportiva partners with the race directors to select someone in a series race for the “Standout Award.” Tejas Trails, the race organization, and La Sportiva voted Chris McWatters, a Texas local who has been a huge help in growing the local running scene. He is a camp councilor at Camp Eagle, the race site for the Nueces Endurance Runs and has been a major part of the growth and success of Tejas Trails. He also placed fifth overall in Saturday’s 25K. For this, McWatters received a gift package from La Sportiva and their Mountain Cup partners.

Newly-signed La Sportiva team member Ryan Woods made his new sponsor proud by edging out Jared Scott, who’s also finished second at the previous Mountain Cup race in Washington state. These two have been in many tight battles and this time Woods was a scant 20 seconds faster. Robert Krar didn’t let Woods or Scott focus on their own battle as he finished only 31 seconds behind Woods to round out an incredible three-man race. Mountain Cup veteran Jason Bryant took fourth on the day, eight minutes behind the lead pack. Chris McWatters, the top local runner, rounded out the top five another three minutes behind Bryant.

Women’s RaceAlison Bryant made her trip from North Carolina worth it by taking home the win in convincing fashion. Fellow La Sportiva Mountain Cup competitor Christina Bauer finished eight minutes back to take second. Two Texans battled hard for third with Jessica Layton edging out Victoria Webster by 16 seconds. Another Texan, Laura Dugan, rounded out the top five another three and a half minutes back.

Men
The only man in the top five of the Mountain Cup rankings not to change positions is the current leader Ryan Woods. Not only did he win Hell’s Hills, but he collected two bonus points for beating each of the three other men in the race who were in the series top ten going in to the event. Jared Scott moved up from third to second overall with his second place performance, while Rob Krar equalled Scott’s move in going from fourth to third in the series rankings. Krar had previously stated that his job would prevent him from enough LSMC races to be competitive for the Cup, but it looks like he’s in for the long haul. Jason Bryant moved into a fourth-place tie with Matt Byrne, who ranked second in the points total going into the race. All that said, Woods has already run four scoring races and all the other top five men except Byrne has run three races. Byrne, having only run two races, effectively has one extra race in which he can earn points. Regardless, we can’t wait to see how the second half of this year’s Mountain Cup shakes out.

Jared Scott (left in white) and Ryan Woods (right in yellow) after a tight battle at Hell's Hills.

WomenThere IS a new leader in the women’s Mountain Cup standings and it’s Christina Bauer. She may not have won Hell’s Hills, but her three-race point total gives her one more point that former leader Gina Lucrezi. On the strength of her win, Alison Bryant moved from a fourth-place tie with Heidi Rentz to sole possession of third. That in turn bumped Maria Dalzot down into fourth position. Dalzot had previously planned on competing at Hell’s Hills, but a bout of plantar fasciitis knocked her out of the action. She no longer intends to compete for the Cup. As a result, it looks like a three woman race between Bauer, Lucrezi, and Bryant… unless someone else jumps in for a late charge.

Next up on the giveaway list? The La Sportiva Skylite 2.0. Having been to other races put on by the Tejas Trails team, we know they show no mercy on runners… or their feet. With that in mind, the lightweight (<10 ounces) protection of the Skylight 2.0 would offer a great balance of race readiness and ready for roughness.

Want to try a pair of the Skylite 2.0? Well, to win a pair, just leave your name and town (in the US or Canada) in a comment before we write about the next Mountain Cup race to be run at the Don’t Fence Me In Trail Run in Montana on May 12. As a reminder, if you enter to win the Skylite 2.0, you’ll also automatically be eligible to win the grand prize – any three pairs of La Sportiva trail shoes and some sweet Sportiva schwag at the end of August.

Call for Comments
If you ran any of the Hell’s Hills races this weekend, please leave a comment letting everyone know how you did and what you think about the race. Past racers are invited to comment, too!